Soluble coffee container

ABSTRACT

A soluble coffee container to be inserted in a beverage brewing device, including a main body to store at least one soluble item therein and dissolve in response to receiving a liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, and a lid removably disposed on at least a portion of the main body to at least partially cover the main body and dissolve in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, such that a drinkable solution is created.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present general inventive concept relates generally to a container, and particularly, to a soluble coffee container.

2. Description of the Related Art

A coffee pod and/or a coffee capsule (hereinafter, coffee container) is a type of container typically used in a beverage brewing system. Other types of beverages may include tea and/or juice. The coffee container stores ground coffee, tea leaves, and/or a juice concentrate.

The beverage brewing system uses a needle to puncture the coffee container. Subsequently, water is infused into the coffee container to create coffee, tea, and/or juice in a plastic cup disposed on the beverage brewing system. However, the coffee container is usually constructed of plastic. When people throw away these containers in the trash, it can end up in an environment that can harm Earth and/or the environment.

Therefore, there is a need for a container that dissolves during use, such that the container does not need to be thrown in the trash.

SUMMARY

The present general inventive concept provides a soluble coffee container.

Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a soluble coffee container to be inserted in a beverage brewing device, including a main body to store at least one soluble item therein and dissolve in response to receiving a liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, and a lid removably disposed on at least a portion of the main body to at least partially cover the main body and dissolve in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, such that a drinkable solution is created.

The main body and the lid may be constructed of freeze-dried coffee beans.

The main body and the lid may create at least one of coffee and tea as the drinkable solution.

The soluble coffee container may further include a probiotic capsule disposed within at least a portion of the main body to release a probiotic culture into the drinkable solution in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other features and utilities of the present generally inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a soluble coffee container, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example embodiments (a.k.a., exemplary embodiments) will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some example embodiments are illustrated. In the figures, the thicknesses of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the figures and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. Like numbers refer to like/similar elements throughout the detailed description.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art. However, should the present disclosure give a specific meaning to a term deviating from a meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill, this meaning is to be taken into account in the specific context this definition is given herein.

LIST OF COMPONENTS

-   Soluble Coffee Container 100 -   Main Body 110 -   Base 111 -   Cylindrical Surface 112 -   Aperture 113 -   Lid 120 -   Bottom Surface 121 -   Top Surface 122

Probiotic Capsule 130

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a soluble coffee container 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

The soluble coffee container 100 may be constructed of at least one freeze-dried food item, such as freeze-dried coffee beans and/or ground coffee. Also, the soluble coffee container 100 may be constructed of freeze-dried tea leaves and/or frozen juice concentrate. As such, the soluble coffee container 100 may be sturdy, prior to contact with a liquid, such as water.

The soluble coffee container 100 may include a main body 110, a lid 120, and a probiotic capsule 130, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 1, the soluble coffee container 100 is illustrated to have a cylindrical shape. However, the soluble coffee container 100 may be a rectangular prism, circular, conical, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, or any other shape known to one of ordinary skill in the art, but is not limited thereto.

The main body 110 may include a base 111, a cylindrical surface 112, and an aperture 113, but is not limited thereto.

The main body 110 may be constructed to have a predetermined size, such as a coffee capsule and/or a coffee pod used in a beverage brewing device (e.g., a coffee machine). However, the main body 110 may have a larger and/or a smaller size based on a preference of a user and/or a manufacturer.

The cylindrical surface 112 may be circumferentially disposed on at least a portion of the base 111. More specifically, the cylindrical surface 112 may be circumferentially disposed around a perimeter of the base 111. As such, the cylindrical surface 112 may form the aperture 113 therein.

Therefore, the main body 110 may store at least one soluble item therein. For example, the main body 110 may store ground coffee, tea leaves, and/or a frozen juice concentrate therein.

Additionally, a diameter of a top portion of the cylindrical surface 112 may be greater than a diameter of the base 111. In other words, the diameter of the cylindrical surface 112 may taper from the top portion towards the base 111, such that the diameter of the base 111 is less than the diameter of the top portion of the cylindrical surface 112.

The lid 120 may include a bottom surface 121 and a top surface 122, but is not limited thereto.

The lid 120 may be removably disposed on at least a portion of the main body 110. More specifically, the bottom surface 121 may contact a top edge of the cylindrical surface 112 of the main body 110, such that the lid 120 may at least partially cover the main body 110.

Also, while the lid 120 is disposed on the main body 110, the base 111 and/or the top surface 122 of the lid 120 may facilitate gripping thereof. In other words, the lid 120 may prevent touching the at least one soluble item within the main body 110.

The main body 110 and/or the lid 120 may be constructed to have different flavors. For example, the main body 110 may be constructed to have a first roast of coffee and the lid 120 may be constructed to have a second roast of coffee different from the first roast. Alternatively, the main body 110 may be constructed of freeze-dried coffee and the lid 120 may be constructed of freeze-dried tea leaves. However, any combination of flavors may be used.

Therefore, different flavors may be enjoyed during consumption.

The main body 110 and/the lid 120 may dissolve in response to receiving a liquid thereon and/or therein, such as from the beverage brewing device. As such, the main body 110 and/or the lid 120 may create a drinkable solution (e.g., coffee, tea, and/or juice) in response to dissolving into the liquid.

The probiotic capsule 130 may include a probiotic culture and a cryoprotectant, but is not limited thereto.

The probiotic culture may be freeze-dried within the probiotic capsule and protected from freeze-drying via the cryoprotectant. The probiotic capsule 130 may be disposed within at least a portion of the main body 110, such as the base 111 and/or the cylindrical surface 112. Alternatively, or in addition, the probiotic capsule 130 may be disposed within at least a portion of the lid 120.

The probiotic capsule 130 may dissolve in response to receiving the liquid thereon. Moreover, the probiotic capsule 130 may dissolve and release the probiotic culture into the drinkable solution to facilitate digestion of the drinkable solution.

The present general inventive concept may include a soluble coffee container 100 to be inserted in a beverage brewing device, including a main body 110 to store at least one soluble item therein and dissolve in response to receiving a liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, and a lid 120 removably disposed on at least a portion of the main body 110 to at least partially cover the main body 110 and dissolve in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, such that a drinkable solution is created.

The main body 110 and the lid 120 may be constructed of freeze-dried coffee beans.

The main body 110 and the lid 120 may create at least one of coffee and tea as the drinkable solution.

The soluble coffee container 100 may further include a probiotic capsule 130 disposed within at least a portion of the main body 110 to release a probiotic culture into the drinkable solution in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device.

Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A soluble coffee container to be inserted in a beverage brewing device, comprising: a main body to store at least one soluble item therein and dissolve in response to receiving a liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device; and a lid removably disposed on at least a portion of the main body to at least partially cover the main body and dissolve in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device, such that a drinkable solution is created.
 2. The soluble coffee container of claim 1, wherein the main body and the lid is constructed of freeze-dried coffee beans.
 3. The soluble coffee container of claim 1, wherein the main body and the lid create at least one of coffee and tea as the drinkable solution.
 4. The soluble coffee container of claim 1, further comprising: a probiotic capsule disposed within at least a portion of the main body to release a probiotic culture into the drinkable solution in response to receiving the liquid thereon from the beverage brewing device. 